Movember 2015

The hairiest month of the year has arrived and the term 'Movember' is one that you will see banded about all over the place and as well as being quite fun, there is a serious side to it and one that we should all take a moment to reflect on. 

The Movember Foundation is a global charity that is committed to men living happier, healthier, longer lives. Since 2003, millions have joined the men’s health movement, raising £402 million and funding over 1,000 programmes focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.

In order to raise awareness, social media plays a huge role and the idea is that for 30 days you begin to grow 'your Mo' and as it grows, you take photos and post them on social media. So in an effort to play my part, on the very last day of the month, much to the horror of my wife, I shaved off my facial hair with a helping hand from the following products:

Crabtree & Evelyn Moroccan Myrrh Shave Soap. - This I absolutely loved and you can read about it HERE. It is worth noting that Crabtree & Evelyn are partnering with Movember for the month of November and will be offering a £1 donation on each product purchase across our men’s ranges.

As the beard and 'Mo' begin to grow, Mankind have a range of products which help keep the itching at bay and the hair soft and smooth rather than wild and grizzly. It's well worth popping over to their site this month (November!) as they are also running a social competition, offering weekly prizes for the best progress photos. To enter all you need to do is upload your photo to twitter and tag @mankindcouk and include the hashtag #MKMOVEMBER.

In addition, throughout November, Mankind will be offering 3 for 2 on beard and moustache products so well worth checking out their site.

But, should you choose to shave it all off, or just to remove the beard to show off the moustache I have to say, you could do a lot worse than checking out the huge range from Rehab London. I have already sung the praises of their shave oil here, but combined with Calm Balm and you have one of the most pain and hassle free shaves going. In fact, apart from getting shaved professionally, I'm yet to experience such few problems like razor bumps, burn and rash after using them.

What will you be doing for Movember? 

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

Cornerstone Shaving Box

If you follow the blog you may have seen my recent post, ‘An Idiots Guide to Shaving’ where I shared some simple advice on how to get that great shave. Where did I get these tips from? Well, the excellent folk over at Cornerstone, a flexible regular distributor of razor blades and men’s shaving supplies. 

The box is starting to look a bit worn after a few months of abuse!

The box before I got stuck in!

Oliver, the founder of the company not only talked me through the perfect shave back in April at the Man Made salon in central London, I was also provided with a full shaving kit so that I could go away and attempt that elusive perfect shave. 

Big smiles all around on my part and after using this now for a month where my face has actually been as hair free as it has been for years I feel that I can give a good run down of the products available, the shaving experience and whether you should be signing yourself or your other half up for a regular delivery.

Cornerstone have a simple philosophy of keeping things simple, yet everything from the box and product design screams understated class, from the clean and fresh face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm to the aluminium razor (you can even have your razor monogrammed with your initials - it‘s the small things that amuse me).

Delivery options couldn’t be clearer and once you have an account set up you can chop and change your options. Personally, as I use the excellent RazorBrite to keep my blades going for much longer I don’t need a regular delivery of blades. Simple, you can remove them and just select the shaving aids. Brilliant.

With no minimum term, free delivery, the ability to suspend or amend how often you receive a box, or simply reduce your order means that you, the consumer are in control of what you get. Another tick in the positive box! 

So, what did I think of my box?

Face Scrub

I have to admit, this is by far the most impressive thing in the box for me. A 100ml tube of the face scrub utilising cedarwood and volcanic sand provides one of the best exfoliating experiences I have ever had. The volcanic sand is perfect as an abrasive while remaining gentle on the skin. 

No bogeys? Check, Ears Clean? Check - you may proceed with photos......

A charcoal grey in colour I couldn’t detect the sand when I squeezed a bit onto my hand initially but as soon as I started to rub into my face you can feel the grains of sand. As it spreads across the face you can after about a minute see the tiny particles of sand. Awesome! 

Fragrance wise it is subtle and not overbearing. Despite giving it a good sniff (to the point some went up my nose) I just couldn’t identify it. Sorry! 

After using this and prior to shaving my face did have that post scrubbed glow, my face felt clean and my pores were well and truly open for business. Top notch stuff in my opinion and on a par at least with one of my personal favourites, Scaramouche & Fandango 'Fs' (face scrub). 

It's the face scrub, not my filthy face that turned the water this colour!

So far, so good.

Shave Gel

The sensitive shave gel comes in a 150ml tube and uses a blend of ginger and eucalyptus. For me, anything that has a base fragrance of eucalyptus is a winner and this is no different - I love the fragrance, especially as the ginger aroma seems to activate as it is massaged into the face. 

Stephen's cold was getting worse and worse.....just kidding.....this is the shave gel

As a lo-lather shave gel you shouldn’t expect a face full of foam, oh no, what you get is very similar to my experience with Rehab London Argan Oil Shave Gel, just a smooth covering of the gel that changes from being quite clear to off white. 

Personally I have found that leaving it for around 60 seconds on the face works great for my face and that lack of lather really does help you when it comes to the actual shave experience. You really don’t need to work hard and the lather/gel doesn’t clog blades, not matter what brand you decide to use.

The Razor + blades

The razor is by far the coolest I’ve ever had, and now with hindsight I wish I had opted to have my initials engraved onto it. It is so lightweight even with a blade attached that you feel like you are playing around with a fencing sword as you swipe across the face. 

The blades are really good, they last for ages and are spaced well so that even the thickest of the thickest hair will rinse off under water as you shave. Excellent in my opinion, and with that erm, razor sharp edge you really don’t have to apply that much pressure to remove those pesky hairs. 

Post Shave Balm

Personally this was the weakest of the box for me but that is not to say it isn’t good - after all, I have been mightily impressed with my Cornerstone box, so much so that it has taken me nearly 8 weeks to truly commit my feelings about the product to the blog - I really wanted to give the entire set a good road test.

After using the products I didn’t have any irritation prior to using the balm so I can’t really comment on it’s soothing properties, but it did leave my face feeling soft and smooth. The fragrance is fairly subtle so no danger of over-powering any cologne or aftershave.

I am delighted that I have had the opportunity to try the Cornerstone range - not only did I meet some thoroughly lovely people from the company, I have been shaving properly ever since and have done so without leaving my face in need of bandages/my body requiring a blood transfusion! 

The fact that you can alter, amend and suspend deliveries is the clincher for me, and with everything above in mind there is nothing much more for me to say. 

Impressed, that’s me - seriously, give them a go.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook 

View Post

Rehab London Argan Oil Shaving Gel

When I first started writing this blog, I did have a bit of a look around to see what others wrote about, how they presented their blogs and to get some idea as to how images should look. The one thing which sticks in my memory is the sheer number of posts about the wonder that is Argan Oil. So, when I was asked if I would like to try Rehab London Argan Oil Shaving Gel, my first thoughts where, let’s see what this baby can do.

My second thought was to write a blog post interspersed with lyrics from the Amy Winehouse song Rehab, but strangely after using it the first time I stopped singing it! Anyhow, I digress....

As a sensitive soul (insert ass before soul) with even more sensitive skin around my face, finding the perfect match for a smooth shaving experience has always been a bane. I’ve found some excellent products over the year that I have been writing here but Rehab London has taken the biscuit. Why you ask? Well read on to see what my sensitive skin thought of this shave gel.

While my 125ml tube of the shave gel came as a sample from Rehab London, you can pick up an identical tube for just £9.95 from Boots here. If you shop around online you may find it cheaper still.

This is what Rehab London say about the Argan Oil Shave Gel:

‘Shaving just crossed over the dark side. Say goodbye to those pesky ingrown hairs, sore red skin and that tight feeling you get when shaving.

Step forward Cold Turkey, The Florence Nightingale of the shaving world. Packed with Hero ingredients like the rare and precious Argan oil, with Hazel, and Aloe Vera, your skin will be left so smooth, it should probably come with a warning. The Argan oil works to support regeneration of the skin, restart the vital functions of the cells and neutralise free radicals, all while providing a protective layer to lubricate the razor. Finally, the unique low foam clear formula lets you see exactly where to shave, perfect for sculpting those rock star side burns

For the ultimate shave, team with rehab London scrub up daily detox to remove dead skin cells and prevent ingrown hairs and blackheads.’

First of all, it looks funny, while it has a runny consistency that means you have to balance it on your hand before applying, but the colour, it’s all cloudy and looks a bit weird. However, nothing ventured nothing gained. The fragrance is rather neutral, it’s there, but so subtle it almost has a watery cucumber aroma - think Aloe Vera blended with a cucumber and you get the gist.

The second surprise for me was how well it spread when being applied - I had expected it to lather up but instead it stays as a gel and as you can see from the images before and after applying, you can hardly tell you have put it on before shaving! Fear not, it sticks to the skin and once gently rubbed in and then the cool sensation starts.

After leaving the oil to soak in for just a few minutes my face did start to feel much cooler. Really cool in fact (note to self - smear this on your sunburn later in the year lol). 

The best was saved to last though - the actual process of shaving is an absolute breeze using the oil. The razor glides across the face and slashes away those pesky bristles and even better, the oil doesn’t clog the blade which means less time rinsing and more time actually eliminating the stubble and beard. Just for the time saved, lack of faffing involved in shaving and clearly less build up on the razor I was blown away and incredibly impressed. Better was to come however!

The stubble before any Argan Oil action....

This is with the gel on my stubble, tricky to see isn't it?

After shaving - no redness or blotchy, itchy face

After rinsing off and drying my face I opted not to use moisturiser the first couple of times I used this and there was a complete absence of any tightness. No razor burn, no redness and no ingrown hairs a few days later. Back of the net.

Hours later my skin felt supple, was smooth and had something of a glow about it. I was so impressed I let people touch my face (I don’t like touching), and for me to allow this means I must have been incredibly confident.

As a joke in passing, when I went for lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago he mentioned that I looked well and was glad to see the beard gone - I responded by saying it was all thanks to rehab - should I be worried that he didn’t ask me to clarify what kind of rehab?

A little goes a long way, it’s affordable and helped to deliver one of the best shaves ever and that is why this sits at the top of the list of my favourite shaving aids. Rehab London Argan Oil Shave Gel is now the yardstick for which others will be tested. It's great stuff. 

FORGET THE REST, TRY THE BEST

You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin
Facebook

View Post